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Al Rawâtib: 
The Neglected Sunnah
- 8 point Help Guide -
Abu Umayza ibn ‘Abd Al-RâhmanThere is no copyright on this text.Readers are free to reprint and distribute it; provided the content is not changed in any way and no monetaryprofit is made through it.
 
 
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All praise is due to Allâh. We praise Him and seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allâh from the evilof our own selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allâh guides, none can send astray andwhoever Allâh sends astray, none can guide.I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh alone, who has no partner. And I bearwitness that Muhammad (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) is His slave and His Messenger. May Allâh send peace and blessingsupon him, his family and his Companions until the Last Day.
Introduction
The Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) said: "The very first thing a servant will be asked about on the Day of Judgementis the salah (prayer). If it is found to be deficient, then it will be said, 'Doesn't he have any optional prayers?' If it is found that he has optional prayers, then they will fill the void, and thus his prayers will be accepted, andthe rest of his deeds will also be accepted." [Sunan Tirmidhi, Abu Da’wud, Nasaa'i and others; see Saheeh Al-Jâmi’, no. 2020]Consistently praying the optional prayers throughout the day and night is from the most important of allaffairs to the Muslim. This is because they will compensate for the lapses found in your obligatory prayers. TheProphet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) clarified in a narration that a man may pray, but he may only be credited with half of it, another may pray but only be credited with one third of it, and another may pray but only be credited withone fourth of it... [See Saheeh Sunan Abi Da’wud, no. 796]It often occurs that people have shortcomings in their prayers, while it is obligatory to offer them andcomplete them perfectly. Do Muslims offer all of your prayers completely and perfectly according to theSunnah?We must take care to be consistent in offering optional prayers and also to take care and be consistent inoffering the Witr prayer. The Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) said: “Make the last of your prayers at night, the witr.”[Saheeh al Bukhari, no. 953] – and it is not known that the Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) missed witr prayer.Imâm Ahmad said about the one who does not consistently pray the Witr prayer: "He is an evil man; hiswitness is not to be accepted." - So how could a Muslim not work harder in fulfilling these obligated andrecommended prayers that entail immense reward and virtue?
 
 
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The Rawâtib
The Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) said: "Allâh will build a house in Heaven for whoever is diligent in observing 12Sunnah Rak'aat (as follows): 4 Rak'aat before and 2 after the Dhuhr (Midday) Prayer, 2 after the Maghrib(Sunset Prayer), 2 after the ‘Ishaa’ (Evening) Prayer and 2 before the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer." [Sunan Tirmidhi, 379and others; classed Saheeh in al Jâmi’, 6183]‘Anbasah ibn Abi Sufyan (
 ﷲ ر
) quoted Umm Habibah (
 ﷲ ر
) as saying "Allâh’s Messenger (
ﱠ َ ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ
) said: "A house will be built in Heaven for one who prays 12 Rak'aat in a day and evening as follows:4 Rak'aat before and 2 after the Dhuhr Prayer, 2 after the Maghrib Prayer, 2 after the ‘Ishaa’ Prayer and 2before the Fajr Prayer." [Sunan Tirmidhi, 380; he classed it as Hasan and Saheeh (See Saheeh al Jâmi’, 6362)]In another similar narration, the Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) said: "Whoever consistently prays twelve rak'ahsthroughout the day and night, a palace will be built for him in Paradise." [Saheeh Sunan Abi Da’wud, no. 1250]From these three authentic narrations we understand the importance of the rawâtib sunnah prayers. Fromthe promise of a house being built in Paradise for the one who guards the rawâtib prayers, it is also crucial tounderstand that the Prophet (
ﱠ َ ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ
) himself was diligent in performing the rawâtib.This practise becomes a double reward for Muslims as it guarantees a house in Paradise and it also exemplifiesour love for the Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) because we follow and obey him and love what he (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
)loved and we perform what he (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) recommended us to, even though it is not fard (obligated)upon us.The ‘Asr salah has no routine Sunnah rawâtib. However, it is mustahhab (preferable and recommended) thatone prays 4 Rak'aat before the ‘Asr Prayer. The 4 Rak'ahs are of less reward and significance in importance of adhering to them compared to the Sunnan al Rawâtib described above. These 4 Rak'ahs are the ones intendedby the Prophet (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) when he said: "May Allâh have mercy on one who prays 4 raka’aat before the‘Asr Prayer." [Sunan Tirmidhi, 395, who classed it as Hasan ghareeb; Also declared Hasan in Saheeh al Jâmi’,3493]If these four rak'ahs before the 'Asr prayer are not observed, then you have prevented your own self frombeing included from those whom the Messenger (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
) supplicated for (i.e. Allâh’s Mercy). Whenyou abandon the rawâtib prayers, you have deprived your own self from this virtue. Most of the optionalprayers have great virtues attached to them, described by the Messenger (
ﱠ َ َوِ ْ َ َ ُﷲ ﱠ َ 
). How then canMuslims lose out and not be concerned about them?Allâh
 و (
) says in the Noble Qur’an:
Guard strictly the prayers (five obligatory) especially the middleprayer (i.e. 'Asr). And stand before Allâh with obedience [and do not speak to others during the prayers.
(AlBaqarah: 238)
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